As we pointed out in
the
review
of the Criterion edition of this film, the only way to rate
this film properly is by giving it an overall grade of "11".
Why? Well, because this is the greatest of all rockumentaries.
Forget Biography, Behind
The Music and Lifetime's Intimate
Portrait. Forget all that crap you see on MTV about
making videos or that show about stalkers - this is everything rock
'n' roll documentaries are supposed to be. This
Is Spinal Tap was and is a major cult phenomenon.
Everywhere you turn, someone's either ripping it off, paying homage
to it or simply referencing it. Just a few months ago, fans where
running wild in Internet auction houses trying to hunt down copies
of the original Criterion DVD (which is now out of print). That rage
has slowed a bit with the announcement of the new special edition
from MGM. And this new disc is damn good, no doubt about it. But I'm
letting you know right now... you're still going to want the
Criterion disc too. Let me tell you why.

This Is Spinal Tap amusingly
tracks the fall of England's least important metal band, Spinal Tap,
from their days as a teeny-bop hair band, through their reinvention
as a hippie love quartet. I've watched a lot of comedies recently on
DVD, I have to say that this film is still one of the genre's
greatest entries. I don't care what AFI has to say. It truly is a
laugh riot. After major success as a comedy character actor, Rob
Reiner made his directorial debut here (and also starring in the
film as documentary filmmaker Marty DiBergi). The plot goes like
this: DiBergi hears that his favorite band is doing a "farewell
tour" and decides to document the experience as the band claws
their way through the Americas in pursuit of money and success. All
of their triumphs and catastrophes are caught on tape... and you
won't stop laughing as you watch each and every one of them.

The only way to properly review this film is to hold it against the
Criterion edition released several years ago. In certain quality
aspects it's the same, but in others the difference is like night
and day. First, let's talk video. This edition features a much
cleaner looking video image over the previous release. While I like
the more grainy "film" look the Criterion edition has, the
colors, blacks and overall feel of the MGM edition is stronger. A
lot of that comes from the fact that the MGM release features a new
anamorphic transfer, which is a big step up, plain and simple. There
is very little artifacting anywhere to be seen (even on the
supplements, but we'll talk about that below). The image is
formatted at 1.85:1 as compared to the 1.70:1 of the Criterion
edition. In an A/B comparison, you don't see much difference and the
field isn't missing any information, so there shouldn't be any
complaints there. Sound-wise, the MGM disc is also much improved
with a remixed Dolby Digital 5.1 track (compared to the 2.0 stereo
track on the previous release). You won't care much about that in
the straight dialogue sections of the disc, but it makes a big
difference in the concert footage. The remixed sound is crisp, clear
and rock solid. I actually liked the sound on this disc a great
deal. You'll be very happy if this edition is the only way you have
a chance to experience This is Spinal Tap
on DVD.

Now... where you're still going to want the Criterion edition is in
the extras. The extras on this new MGM disc are fine - actually
they're pretty great (and I'll get to why in a second). But there
was a bit "more" on the Criterion edition. First, there's
only one commentary track on this edition, whereas the Criterion
disc had two (one with the actors and one with Reiner and his
producer and editors). The feel on those tracks was definitely
cinematic. The talk was about how the film was made and the things
they went through to get it done. This new MGM disc's commentary was
recorded with the actual members of Spinal Tap (yes, the same actors
as on the Criterion track... but they're actually in character
here). And although it's frickin' funny, it's definitely different
than the Criterion edition. So right there, you have one reason to
get both versions if you're a fan. The second reason you'll want
both, is that both versions feature some different deleted scenes.
The deleted scenes on this MGM version are much better, in terms of
quality, than the ones on the Criterion disc. They're significantly
"cleaned up" and don't feature the little time code window
on the bottom that appears in the same footage on the earlier
release. The quality still isn't perfect, mind you - they are old,
scratched in spots and faded in others - but they look much better
here than the Criterion edition. On the other hand, the Criterion
edition does feature more cut footage - another reason to find it if
you can. And there's still another reason - this new MGM release
lacks the demo filmSpinal Tap: The Final
Tour, which appeared on the Criterion disc. It's a
shorter version of the film - which includes a few different actors
and scenarios from the final film - which was shot to raise money
for the production. It's very cool and its absence is a major
oversight on this new MGM disc.

That's not to disparage this new edition however, because it does
have some new things we haven't seen before. First, as I mentioned
above, there's an new and original commentary track with the members
of Tap. It's very funny. You get a nice teaser of it when you first
pop in the disc - the band members talk over the menu screens. I
won't spoil it for you here, because some of what they say is
hilarious. Next, there's a short interview with Marty DiBergi (Rob
Reiner in character) where he talks about what he's been up to since
the film was released (he designs mousepads for promotional
releases). Included in the interview is a snippet of a press
conference where Tap talks about the film negatively. It's pretty
funny and looks great on DVD. Also exclusive to this disc is a very
short clip of Spinal Tap on The Joe
Franklin Show. It's not very funny, but it's not on the
Criterion disc. There's also the film's original theatrical trailer,
one of the "cheese rolling" promos (the Criterion DVD had
two), some TV spots, music videos for Big
Bottom (exclusive to this MGM release), Hell
Hole (which is also on the Criterion disc) and two other
songs, the fake commercial for Heavy
Metal Memories and three commercials for a food pocket
called Rock n' Rolls (I dunno if these are real or not, but I'm sure
someone will let me know).

If I had to make a choice - and it would be a tough choice to make
- I'd take this new MGM version over the Criterion. The movie itself
looks better and this is just a better special edition than the
previous release. It's generally more fun, with better menu screens
and original dialogue. One last note, is that this new disc also
features complete songs which play behind different menu screens of
the disc (odds are the whole album is on this disc somehow) - a very
cool touch. But I'm really glad that I have both discs though,
because they really are different creatures when you hold them up
side to side. The Criterion edition wasn't shabby, but it was an
early DVD and now it shows its age.

MGM's new release of This Is Spinal Tap
really is a great DVD special edition, and it's one that fans will
just have to get. But if you really want the ultimate special
edition of this film, you should make it a two-disc set by finding a
copy of the original Criterion edition as well. I'm not one for
sending people to Ebay, but that may be your only chance to snag a
copy these days... and you will pay for it. But whether you can get
your hands on it or not, you'll be plenty happy with this new disc.
So what are you waiting for? Rock and Roll!!!